Removable top bronco
Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 9,182
Likes: 12
From: Gateway to the West
The Forum Sponsor sells them brand new! They aren't cheap but then you are basically buying and aftermarket convertible top complete with the frame! And in spite of what it says, they fit all the way through 1996 models. They only stipulate 80-91 because of the changes to rear seat belts and high-mount stop light additions in 1992. The soft top the Graveyard sells will FIT, it just renders the shoulder belts and the high-mount center stop lamp inoperative so they can't market them to anything later than 1991 models.
New User
Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Get a spare top and pull the glass. Cut a hole in the roof too if you want... I did! I run the top in the following pictures every summer. It weighs less than half what the OEM top does and it lets me keep my shoulder harness rear seat belts. (Anyone with a 92+ Bronco knows that removing the top basically renders the rear outboard seat belts useless).
To remove the top, you can pull the hardware then with the rear seat folded all the way up towards the back of the front seats you can get under it and walk it back off the bed with it balanced like a turtle shell on your back. It takes a little practice but I do it all the time. You still need at least one other person to assist with getting down from the bed rails after you have cleared the rear guide pins.
To remove the top, you can pull the hardware then with the rear seat folded all the way up towards the back of the front seats you can get under it and walk it back off the bed with it balanced like a turtle shell on your back. It takes a little practice but I do it all the time. You still need at least one other person to assist with getting down from the bed rails after you have cleared the rear guide pins.
New User
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 19
Likes: 0
Get a spare top and pull the glass. Cut a hole in the roof too if you want... I did! I run the top in the following pictures every summer. It weighs less than half what the OEM top does and it lets me keep my shoulder harness rear seat belts. (Anyone with a 92+ Bronco knows that removing the top basically renders the rear outboard seat belts useless).
To remove the top, you can pull the hardware then with the rear seat folded all the way up towards the back of the front seats you can get under it and walk it back off the bed with it balanced like a turtle shell on your back. It takes a little practice but I do it all the time. You still need at least one other person to assist with getting down from the bed rails after you have cleared the rear guide pins.
To remove the top, you can pull the hardware then with the rear seat folded all the way up towards the back of the front seats you can get under it and walk it back off the bed with it balanced like a turtle shell on your back. It takes a little practice but I do it all the time. You still need at least one other person to assist with getting down from the bed rails after you have cleared the rear guide pins.
This is most excellent! Definitely going on the list of mods after the brakes, windows, exhaust & locks are fixed...
Was that a self-fabricated solution?
1st Gear
Joined: Mar 2024
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
You are wrong in Michigan So don’t act like a Know It all
Never said there was a problem with it. I pointed out the FACTS about the Federal Laws that Ford was not going to deliberately tell their customers to BREAK by removing the top once the shoulder harness belts and the high-mount stop light were attached to the top. An end user might not catch hell for it but you can BET Ford would have if they gave instructions in the owners's manual for removing federally mandated equipment. Give the FAQ a read and you will see what one Missouri State Hwy. Patrol officer had to say about removing a Bronco top.
Cargo Master
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 2,333
Likes: 296
Wow! Great first post to a 15 year old thread that died 5 years ago.
And you are wrong. 1992 was first year for heavy vehicles. 1986 would be for passenger cars under a certain GVW
Is @greystreak92 even on here anymore?
And you are wrong. 1992 was first year for heavy vehicles. 1986 would be for passenger cars under a certain GVW
Is @greystreak92 even on here anymore?
Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 9,182
Likes: 12
From: Gateway to the West
I log in once in a great while. I just don't have time anymore.
The question about high-mount stop lights is simply answered this way: NTSB and federal law made nigh-mount stop lights mandatory equipment at the end of the 1991 Model year for passenger cars and lights trucks.
Given this information, I had opportunity to ask a State Trouper (Missouri) back in about 2001 the question that many full-size Bronco owners have nagging in the back of their heads... What happens if I remove the top from my 1992+ full-size Bronco? The short answer from the Missouri trouper was rather succinct... "I'd have to catch you engaged in something far LESS LEGAL before making an issue out of it. If I had cause to stop you for 90 in a 55 there's a very good possibility I'll write you for the stop light as well. That, and I'd have to remember that high-mount stoplights became mandatory at the end of the 1991 model year."
As for the flashing high-mount, I see them frequently these days and I have never confirmed the suspicion that they are the hypochondriac's response to hoping no one will rear-end them when they stop suddenly or for no good reason. Those who truly believe that a flashing light will actually wake up the distracted driver behind them any better than a non-flashing one is truly making a rather horrendously gross assumption about the driver with their nose buried in their phone who won't look up until after the impact anyway... (But I digress and after all my opinion is merely that.)
The question about high-mount stop lights is simply answered this way: NTSB and federal law made nigh-mount stop lights mandatory equipment at the end of the 1991 Model year for passenger cars and lights trucks.
Given this information, I had opportunity to ask a State Trouper (Missouri) back in about 2001 the question that many full-size Bronco owners have nagging in the back of their heads... What happens if I remove the top from my 1992+ full-size Bronco? The short answer from the Missouri trouper was rather succinct... "I'd have to catch you engaged in something far LESS LEGAL before making an issue out of it. If I had cause to stop you for 90 in a 55 there's a very good possibility I'll write you for the stop light as well. That, and I'd have to remember that high-mount stoplights became mandatory at the end of the 1991 model year."
As for the flashing high-mount, I see them frequently these days and I have never confirmed the suspicion that they are the hypochondriac's response to hoping no one will rear-end them when they stop suddenly or for no good reason. Those who truly believe that a flashing light will actually wake up the distracted driver behind them any better than a non-flashing one is truly making a rather horrendously gross assumption about the driver with their nose buried in their phone who won't look up until after the impact anyway... (But I digress and after all my opinion is merely that.)
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies
Joe Kucinski
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make
Brett Foote
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!
Michael S. Palmer
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home
Verdad Gallardo
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!
Joe Kucinski
2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?
Brett Foote
2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Most Surprising 2026 Ford Truck Features!
Joe Kucinski
Hotshot
Joined: Jul 2020
Posts: 10,410
Likes: 2,610
From: Near Salt Lake City
Those of you who have removed your tops, and then put them back on, will know how hard it is to get the bolts all lined up and the weatherstrip seated in the right grooves
For that reason, I advise you NEVER take your top off
Guys used to bring them down to us at the dealer to fix their water and air leaks
Took a new expensive weatherstrip sometimes, and 4 guys to muscle the heavy as hell top around
That said, go ahead and do it
If it has been off once, and put back on correctly, it gets easier and easier each time
For that reason, I advise you NEVER take your top off
Guys used to bring them down to us at the dealer to fix their water and air leaks
Took a new expensive weatherstrip sometimes, and 4 guys to muscle the heavy as hell top around
That said, go ahead and do it
If it has been off once, and put back on correctly, it gets easier and easier each time
Trailering
Joined: Feb 2025
Posts: 20
Likes: 1
From: Eureka, CA
Those of you who have removed your tops, and then put them back on, will know how hard it is to get the bolts all lined up and the weatherstrip seated in the right grooves
For that reason, I advise you NEVER take your top off
Guys used to bring them down to us at the dealer to fix their water and air leaks
Took a new expensive weatherstrip sometimes, and 4 guys to muscle the heavy as hell top around
That said, go ahead and do it
If it has been off once, and put back on correctly, it gets easier and easier each time
For that reason, I advise you NEVER take your top off
Guys used to bring them down to us at the dealer to fix their water and air leaks
Took a new expensive weatherstrip sometimes, and 4 guys to muscle the heavy as hell top around
That said, go ahead and do it
If it has been off once, and put back on correctly, it gets easier and easier each time
Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 9,182
Likes: 12
From: Gateway to the West
Yes, McLeod, once in a great while I get back here. Interests change with time but I do wander by from time to time.
Not at all certain what the argument is here but the mandate for the high-mount stop lamp became effective for the full-size Bronco in 1992. But don't take my word for it....simply look up the production brochures at FORD and the silly things ARE SIMPLY NOT present on the 91's . 1991 was the Silver Anniversary and marked the last of the "brick-nose" front-end styling that began in 1987. The rear styling simply did NOT include a high-mount stop lamp until the 1992 model year which marked the same year that, while the top was still very much a removable component, Ford did their best to discourage by changing out the mounting hardware for the top to T-40 tamper-proof Torx. (1991 and earlier owners still have HHCS for mounting hardware on the top.) Ostensibly this was to discourage top removal by owners but NOT because of the high-mount stop lamp that was built into the aft center cross-member of the top... Ford discouraged the removal of the top beginning with the 1992 Model year because they changed the aft seatbelt configuration to be shoulder-harnesses and they will NOT retract far enough to be ANY USE if the top is removed and the shoulder-mount is disconnected. This presents a serious safety defect should you have rear-seat occupants in the truck with the top removed and you live where aft passenger seat belts are mandatory. (You can always modify a factory top like I did to get around this but that is a topic for a different thread... so go search for it.) Again, not sure what the argument is here but the high-mount stop-light requirement is well-documented and individual states have never had the ability to negate an NHTSB mandate... hence the N in the acronym meaning "National". As for the blinking high-mount, this user personally sees them as dangerous and distracting but that is merely my personal stance on the topic.
And for those who seem to think that removing a component that Ford DESIGNED to BE REMOVABLE is a bad idea... you are no different than Rochester Quadrajet mechanics who used to throw them out and drop a Holley POS carb. in its place because they simply refused to learn how to tune the far more accurately metered and reliable Q-jet. I have had the top off (and back on) my 1992 and 1993 Broncos more times than I can recall. Hell, I've got a hoist built into the garage that picks the top straight up off the truck once the hardware is out. By the way... the two forward upper corners and the two aft corners are all the hardware required to hold the top in place and don't even start trying to tell me "it'll leak" becasue my 32 year-old Bronco for the hundreds of times I have removed the top... has NEVER LEAKED even through a modern car wash! And I have never replaced the gasket across the aft section for the steel portion of the roof either! Is the top heavy? Yes. Is it a B!†ç* to muscle around by yourself? Oh yeah! Are you a whiny baby for sitting around like an armchair quarterback issuing warnings that only prove you have either never attempted the maneuver or your have and are completely inept at it? Yes! End of rant...
To the old-timers on the forum... maybe my style of responses are best left out these days but geez its so sad to come back years later and still watch the newbies carry on about what they think they know and be so wrong. "If you are ignorant to history and the knowledge gained by it, you are destined to repeat the mistakes that generated the knowledge you lack because you haven't paid attention to history."
Not at all certain what the argument is here but the mandate for the high-mount stop lamp became effective for the full-size Bronco in 1992. But don't take my word for it....simply look up the production brochures at FORD and the silly things ARE SIMPLY NOT present on the 91's . 1991 was the Silver Anniversary and marked the last of the "brick-nose" front-end styling that began in 1987. The rear styling simply did NOT include a high-mount stop lamp until the 1992 model year which marked the same year that, while the top was still very much a removable component, Ford did their best to discourage by changing out the mounting hardware for the top to T-40 tamper-proof Torx. (1991 and earlier owners still have HHCS for mounting hardware on the top.) Ostensibly this was to discourage top removal by owners but NOT because of the high-mount stop lamp that was built into the aft center cross-member of the top... Ford discouraged the removal of the top beginning with the 1992 Model year because they changed the aft seatbelt configuration to be shoulder-harnesses and they will NOT retract far enough to be ANY USE if the top is removed and the shoulder-mount is disconnected. This presents a serious safety defect should you have rear-seat occupants in the truck with the top removed and you live where aft passenger seat belts are mandatory. (You can always modify a factory top like I did to get around this but that is a topic for a different thread... so go search for it.) Again, not sure what the argument is here but the high-mount stop-light requirement is well-documented and individual states have never had the ability to negate an NHTSB mandate... hence the N in the acronym meaning "National". As for the blinking high-mount, this user personally sees them as dangerous and distracting but that is merely my personal stance on the topic.
And for those who seem to think that removing a component that Ford DESIGNED to BE REMOVABLE is a bad idea... you are no different than Rochester Quadrajet mechanics who used to throw them out and drop a Holley POS carb. in its place because they simply refused to learn how to tune the far more accurately metered and reliable Q-jet. I have had the top off (and back on) my 1992 and 1993 Broncos more times than I can recall. Hell, I've got a hoist built into the garage that picks the top straight up off the truck once the hardware is out. By the way... the two forward upper corners and the two aft corners are all the hardware required to hold the top in place and don't even start trying to tell me "it'll leak" becasue my 32 year-old Bronco for the hundreds of times I have removed the top... has NEVER LEAKED even through a modern car wash! And I have never replaced the gasket across the aft section for the steel portion of the roof either! Is the top heavy? Yes. Is it a B!†ç* to muscle around by yourself? Oh yeah! Are you a whiny baby for sitting around like an armchair quarterback issuing warnings that only prove you have either never attempted the maneuver or your have and are completely inept at it? Yes! End of rant...
To the old-timers on the forum... maybe my style of responses are best left out these days but geez its so sad to come back years later and still watch the newbies carry on about what they think they know and be so wrong. "If you are ignorant to history and the knowledge gained by it, you are destined to repeat the mistakes that generated the knowledge you lack because you haven't paid attention to history."
Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 9,182
Likes: 12
From: Gateway to the West
Yes, McLeod, once in a great while I get back here. Interests change with time but I do wander by from time to time.
Not at all certain what the argument is here but the mandate for the high-mount stop lamp became effective for the full-size Bronco in 1992. But don't take my word for it....simply look up the production brochures at FORD and the silly things ARE SIMPLY NOT present on the 91's . 1991 was the Silver Anniversary and marked the last of the "brick-nose" front-end styling that began in 1987. The rear styling simply did NOT include a high-mount stop lamp until the 1992 model year which marked the same year that, while the top was still very much a removable component, Ford did their best to discourage by changing out the mounting hardware for the top to T-40 tamper-proof Torx. (1991 and earlier owners still have HHCS for mounting hardware on the top.) Ostensibly this was to discourage top removal by owners but NOT because of the high-mount stop lamp that was built into the aft center cross-member of the top... Ford discouraged the removal of the top beginning with the 1992 Model year because they changed the aft seatbelt configuration to be shoulder-harnesses and they will NOT retract far enough to be ANY USE if the top is removed and the shoulder-mount is disconnected. This presents a serious safety defect should you have rear-seat occupants in the truck with the top removed and you live where aft passenger seat belts are mandatory. (You can always modify a factory top like I did to get around this but that is a topic for a different thread... so go search for it.) Again, not sure what the argument is here but the high-mount stop-light requirement is well-documented and individual states have never had the ability to negate an NHTSB mandate... hence the N in the acronym meaning "National". As for the blinking high-mount, this user personally sees them as dangerous and distracting but that is merely my personal stance on the topic.
And for those who seem to think that removing a component that Ford DESIGNED to BE REMOVABLE is a bad idea... you are no different than Rochester Quadrajet mechanics who used to throw them out and drop a Holley POS carb. in its place because they simply refused to learn how to tune the far more accurately metered and reliable Q-jet. I have had the top off (and back on) my 1992 and 1993 Broncos more times than I can recall. Hell, I've got a hoist built into the garage that picks the top straight up off the truck once the hardware is out. By the way... the two forward upper corners and the two aft corners are all the hardware required to hold the top in place and don't even start trying to tell me "it'll leak" becasue my 32 year-old Bronco for the hundreds of times I have removed the top... has NEVER LEAKED even through a modern car wash! And I have never replaced the gasket across the aft section for the steel portion of the roof either! Is the top heavy? Yes. Is it a B!†ç* to muscle around by yourself? Oh yeah! Are you a whiny baby for sitting around like an armchair quarterback issuing warnings that only prove you have either never attempted the maneuver or your have and are completely inept at it? Yes! End of rant...
To the old-timers on the forum... maybe my style of responses are best left out these days but geez its so sad to come back years later and still watch the newbies carry on about what they think they know and be so wrong. "If you are ignorant to history and the knowledge gained by it, you are destined to repeat the mistakes that generated the knowledge you lack because you haven't paid attention to history."
Not at all certain what the argument is here but the mandate for the high-mount stop lamp became effective for the full-size Bronco in 1992. But don't take my word for it....simply look up the production brochures at FORD and the silly things ARE SIMPLY NOT present on the 91's . 1991 was the Silver Anniversary and marked the last of the "brick-nose" front-end styling that began in 1987. The rear styling simply did NOT include a high-mount stop lamp until the 1992 model year which marked the same year that, while the top was still very much a removable component, Ford did their best to discourage by changing out the mounting hardware for the top to T-40 tamper-proof Torx. (1991 and earlier owners still have HHCS for mounting hardware on the top.) Ostensibly this was to discourage top removal by owners but NOT because of the high-mount stop lamp that was built into the aft center cross-member of the top... Ford discouraged the removal of the top beginning with the 1992 Model year because they changed the aft seatbelt configuration to be shoulder-harnesses and they will NOT retract far enough to be ANY USE if the top is removed and the shoulder-mount is disconnected. This presents a serious safety defect should you have rear-seat occupants in the truck with the top removed and you live where aft passenger seat belts are mandatory. (You can always modify a factory top like I did to get around this but that is a topic for a different thread... so go search for it.) Again, not sure what the argument is here but the high-mount stop-light requirement is well-documented and individual states have never had the ability to negate an NHTSB mandate... hence the N in the acronym meaning "National". As for the blinking high-mount, this user personally sees them as dangerous and distracting but that is merely my personal stance on the topic.
And for those who seem to think that removing a component that Ford DESIGNED to BE REMOVABLE is a bad idea... you are no different than Rochester Quadrajet mechanics who used to throw them out and drop a Holley POS carb. in its place because they simply refused to learn how to tune the far more accurately metered and reliable Q-jet. I have had the top off (and back on) my 1992 and 1993 Broncos more times than I can recall. Hell, I've got a hoist built into the garage that picks the top straight up off the truck once the hardware is out. By the way... the two forward upper corners and the two aft corners are all the hardware required to hold the top in place and don't even start trying to tell me "it'll leak" becasue my 32 year-old Bronco for the hundreds of times I have removed the top... has NEVER LEAKED even through a modern car wash! And I have never replaced the gasket across the aft section for the steel portion of the roof either! Is the top heavy? Yes. Is it a B!†ç* to muscle around by yourself? Oh yeah! Are you a whiny baby for sitting around like an armchair quarterback issuing warnings that only prove you have either never attempted the maneuver or your have and are completely inept at it? Yes! End of rant...
To the old-timers on the forum... maybe my style of responses are best left out these days but geez its so sad to come back years later and still watch the newbies carry on about what they think they know and be so wrong. "If you are ignorant to history and the knowledge gained by it, you are destined to repeat the mistakes that generated the knowledge you lack because you haven't paid attention to history."
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
guidogabriele
1978 - 1996 Big Bronco
36
Dec 7, 2002 04:37 PM
